Today was technically a day off from trips, but it was another beautiful day, and everyone was out and about relaxing and enjoying New Year’s Day in the warm sunshine. My trip the following day was to Montserrat and involved meeting at a tourist office in the centre, so my first job of the day after a nice relaxing breakfast at the hotel was to go and find out exactly where the place was to avoid any stresses early the following morning. It turned out to be easy to find and didn’t take too long to walk there.

On route to the tourist office, I had passed a structure that looked like the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. I didn’t know that Barcelona had such a structure, but it was impressive and so I decided to wander back and take a closer look. The structure is called the Arc de Triomf and is a memorial arch at the entrance to the Parc de la Ciutadella. It was built by architect Joseph Vilaseca I Casanovas in preparation for the Barcelona World Fair in 1888 and is now one of the city’s most iconic landmarks. The structure is made from brick and stands at approximately 30 m high, which is half the size of the one in Paris. It is decorated with beautiful sculptural motifs and at the top of the arch there are shields of the 49 Spanish provinces that are presided over by the Barcelona coat of arms. The friezes on one side of the arch represent agriculture and industry. Apparently, there are around 15 famous arches in the world, and this is one of them – who knew!

Behind the famous arch, lies the entrance to the Parc de la Ciutadella which was built towards the end of the 19 century and reminded me so much of Windsor Castle gate walk in London where you can walk down an enormous path that’s seems to go on forever – the Parc de la Ciutadella is a lot shorter, though. This public park was busy on New Year’s Day and certainly has a lot going on. There is a monumental waterfall, boating lake, 19-century buildings, a bandstand, and numerous sculptures including a Lifesize mammoth. Lots of birds are present in the park, too, including green parakeets, Canada geese, and grey herons. Lots of trees, including orange, lime, magnolia and poplar can be viewed as you wander around the parkland. Opposite is the famous Barcelona Zoo that supports new research, conservation, and education. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to go around there as well. But the parc was a great find and well worth a visit.

I then went on to walk to the beach front, as you can’t go to Spain and miss out on the beach! It was beautiful down there and not even breezy. There is 4.2 km of golden sandy beaches in Barcelona and it’s only a 10-minute drive or twenty-minute walk from the centre. Once I reached the beach area, I walked along the promenade and waterfront which is lined with eateries and cafes – all nice and tastefully done, and many of the places boasted magnificent views across the water. I eventually stopped for some refreshments and even sat outside because it was so warm – I wouldn’t have been doing that in the UK in January!

I finished the day off by walking to Port Olympic harbour with its 30 years of history, and the place that hosted the sailing events for the 1992 summer Olympics. The port is really pretty, and a new direction has been taken with the harbour to try and integrate it into the city with the environment in mind so that more people can enjoy it. So, if you fancy purchasing a boat, there is plenty of mooring space here!

Well, I felt like I had had plenty of sea air and exercise today, as my watch told me that I had clocked up quite a few steps - I was starting to feel tired after a late night the night before, too. So, it was back to the hotel to get something to eat and then look forward to my trip to Montserrat the following morning.